Printing systems may convert input data (for example, data representing an image for two-dimensional printing, or data representing an object for three dimensional printing) to print control data, which specifies where print materials (for example, colorants such as inks or toners or other printable materials) are to be placed in a print operation.
Techniques used in converting data include error diffusion, in which a particular print material or material combination is assigned from a selection of possible print materials and/or material combinations for a given location. For example, a print material may be selected such that a drop of a particular color ink will be placed at a particular pixel to form an image. An ‘error’ associated with selecting this or these print materials and not another of the possible print material(s) is distributed to at least one other location, usually reducing the probability of the same print material(s) being assigned to the other location(s).